Retort-oven for recovery of ammonia.



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BETUBT DVEN FUR REGOYERY (Appumim med me` 14, 189e.;

Patented Apr. I6, |90l.

0F AMMONIA.

Nol 672,059. Patented Apr. ls, raul.

o. von slEs.

. RETDBT OVEN FDR BECDV'ERY 0F AMMONIA.

(Application led Dec. 14 1898.) (no Manel.)

5 Shets-Sheet 2.

No. 672,059. Patented Apr. I6, |90l. D. VON GIESE.

RETORT OVEN FOR BEGUVEBY 0F AMMONIA.

(Appcatiun filed Dec. 14, 1898.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Fig. 3.

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No. 672,059. Patented Apr. I6, I90I. 0. VON GIESE.

RETURT OVEN FUR BECUVEBY 0F AMMUNIA.

(Application led Dec. 14, 1898.) (No Model.)v 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

No. 672,059. Patented Apr. I6, I90I. O. VON GIESE.

RETORT OVEN FOB RECOVERY OF AMMONIA.

(Application led Dec. 14, 1898.) (No Modevl.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

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vPATENT OTTO VON GIES, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

RETORT-OVEN FOR RECOVERY OF AMMONIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 672,059, dated April 16, 190i.

l Application filed December 14, 1898. uerial No. 699,279. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, OTTO VON GIES, a citizen of the free city of Hamburg, residing at Hamburg, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Retort-Ovens for the Separation of Nitrogen, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an oven for the separation of nitrogen from ind ustrial wastefor instance, from distillers waste.7 The chief features of the oven are that it has besides the gasifying-retorts decomposing-retorts which are considerably smaller than the former and are preferably also tube-shaped and calcining-furnaces arranged below the retorts, besides tubes serving for the preliminary heating of the air and gas for heating the retorts. The decomposing-retorts are arranged in the oven in such a manner that they are exposed to the hottest part `of the ame and are heated more than the gasifying-retorts. The calcining-furnaces and the tubes for heating the As the calcining-furnaces are situated di,y

rectly below the retorts, the solid residue from the coking or gasif-ying retorts, which is suitable for burning in the calcining-furhaces, can be fed to the grates of the latter with the least amount 'of labor.

In order that thisinvention may be the better understood,I now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings Y and to the letters and figures marked thereon.

Figures l to 3 illustrate, as an example, one construction ofthe oven, Fig. 1 showing by a vertical transverse section through the oven the essential features of this construction, Fig. 2 being aQVertical llongitudinal section on the broken line C D-,-.Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a horizontal section on the line E F, Fig. l, showing the position of the orices for admitting the air and gas into the retort-chamber. Fig. 4 shows a vertical section, similar to Fig. l, of a modified construction of the oven in which the arrangementof the gas-decomposing tubes is different. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sec'- tional view of the top of the oven and the apparatus for separating the valuable compo-l nents ofthe gases as they pass from the decomposing-retortsy r indicates the coking or gasifying retorts, having tightlyfitting detachable doors or covers, through which the distillers wash or other waste material is -fed after .it has been thickened with calcined material from the calcining-furnace. These doors b and z5, Fig. 2, t tight to the retorts r. From each of the latter branches off a tube d, all tubesd leading to a common collecting vessel S, which receives the gas developed in the retorts r. The

tubes d may be attached to the doors or covers b and the latter to the retorts'r in any suitable manner, so that the doors b close the retorts tightly and can be easily removed to allow of feeding the retorts r and that the .connection of the tubes d with the covers or ydoorsb is secure and tight.

In the construction shown in Figs. vl to 3 the gases are conducted from the collecting vessel S to retorts a for decomposing the gases through pipes R. '(See Figs. 1 and 2.) Y The tube R conducts the gases pass in a similar manner to the upper retorts a; In these decomposing-retorts a the nitrogenous gases are decomposed-that is to say, the nitrogen is changed into ammonia.

The gases pass from these retorts through the tube T into the pitch-receiver l, Fig. 5, which is a closed water-receiver that retains the accompanying particles of pitch and by reason of its water s eal renders any explosions that might take place in the ovenvnoninjurious. From thence the gases are conducted, through the tubes 2 and 3, into a cooler 4, through the tubes 5 of which cold water is caused to flow, and then through the stand-pipe 6 into the washer or absorber 7, in which the ammonia is absorbed. The remaining gases, which are composed of combustible compounds containing carbon, pass through the pipe 8 and are collected in the gasometer IOO 9. This apparatus is designed for the purpose of absorbing such constituents containing nitrogen as are of value in practice and for the regeneration of the remaining combustible gases. From the gasometer 9 the gases pass through tube lO into the tubes C, in which they are heated by the waste gases of combustion of the retort part on the oven, Fig. l. The manner in which the tubes C may be arranged--for instance, in the lower part of the whole ovenis clearly shown in Figs. l and 2. The gases enter the tubes C as low as possible, Fig. 2, and pass upward in the manner shown in the same ligure until they enter the combustion-chain ber of the retorts through nozzles g, Fig. l.

The pipes B for conducting the air required for the combustion of the gas passing through the pipes C are arranged in the same manner as the latter, Fig. l. The air also enters into the lowermost tubes B, which are acted on last by the Waste gases of combustionchamber surrounding the retorts. The air rises in the` pipes B, as shown in Fig. l, in order to enter also into the combustion-chamber through nozzles h. When the gas and air enter into the combustion-chamber through the nozzles g h, as described, they mix immediat-ely and form long flames, which completely surround the decomposing-retorts a andactonthem. Inthismannerthedecompos ing-retorts a are exposed to the greatest heat, while the larger coking or gasifying retorts fr, situated outside the retorts a, are heated to a less extent by flames of decreasing temperature. (See Fig. l.) In this ligure arrows indicate the way taken by the fiames acting on the retorts r and a. It will be seen from the ligure that the hot gases after having heated the retorts in the combustion-chamber pass through oricesfinto the upper tube-chambers N, which contain the upper parts of the air-pipes B and gas-pipes C. These pipes C B are acted on in the transverse direction of the oven by the hot gases enteringthrough the orilices f, and thus become heated to a high temperature. This heat passes in to the air and gas passing through the tubes C B, respectively. Such air and gas are therefore sufficiently heat-ed to ignite when leaving the nozzles g and h. The waste gases pass from the chamber N, through channels L, Fig. l, into chambers N', situated below the calcining-ovens D D2 and containing the lower part of the tubes C D. The latter are also acted on by the waste gases, which finally escape through the orifices c into the channels c and to the chimney. As shown in Fig. 1, the waste gases of combustion entering the chambers N through orifices 6o fpass to the lower chambers N' in such a manner as to heat the calcining ovens or furnaces D D2 very effectively.

The calcining ovens or furnaces D D2 are furtherheated from inside. The solid residue the calcining-furnaces D D2, Figs. 2 and 3, in

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the following manner: An upright telescopic pipe or liuc u has its upper end bent at a right angle toward the retorts r and is arranged so that its bent end can be easily moved before each retort r, from which the residue is removed into the'tube by suitable tools or mechanical devices. The residue falls through lthe telescopic tube u onto the before-mentioned grates E, on which it is burned, and develop the heat necessary for the inside of the calcining-furnaces D D2. The gases developed on the grate or grates E pass through openings E2, Fig. 2, into the calcining ovens or furnaces D D2. These gases and the vapors and gases developed in the ovens and furnaces D D2 pass through orifices e, Figs. l and 2, into exit-channels d d2, Fig. l. The arrangement of the channels d' and d2in the brickwork is shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section of these two channels d' d2.

The telescopic tube uis suspended,as shown in Fig. 2, from a running device fu, and the lower end travels on rails, also shown in Fig. 2, so that the tube u can be moved in the transverse direction of the oven in order to be placed alternatively before the three vertical rows of retorts shown in Fig. l. As the tube u is telescopic, its upper orifice 0, whichis bent toward the retorts r, as before mentioned, can be raised or lowered, so as to be placed before any of the three rows of retorts r above one another. It will be obvious from the foregoing description and from the drawings that the orifice 0 of the tube u can be placed in front of each of the retorts r and that therefore the solid contents of each retort r can be removed through the tube u, to one or other of the grates E. In Fig. 3 three grates E are shown corresponding to the three vertical rows of retorts r. The flues E2 from the three grates E are arranged so that the entire heat developed on the grates E is distributed equally to the two calcining ovens or furnaces D D2. The particular construction of the channels E2 is not shown in the drawings, because it is not essential to the invention. M indicates doors, Figs. l and 2, through which the material to be calcined can be fed into the ovens or furnaces D D2 and the calcined material removed therefrom.

The reasons for the before-described separate arrangement of the decomposing-retorts a are as follows: In order to decompose the gases developed in the retorts r, so that the nitrogen can be separated therefrom chemically by glowing contact bodies-such as aluminates,bauxite,lime,and similar' materialsa considerably greater heat is required than for driving otf the gases from the waste-for instance, distillers wash-fed into the retorts r. If the decomposition of these driven-0E gases were effected in the retorts r, the latter would have to be heated much more strongly than would be necessary for only driving o the gases from the waste, and consequently a much greater amount of fuel would be nec-- IOO IIO

essary. To overcome this disadvantage, to keep the temperature in the oven as low as convenient, and to utilize the heat produced to the best advantage, so that the waste gases enter the channels c at a temperature of not more than 350 to I00 centigrade, the small decomposing-retorts a, are arranged, through which pass the gases produced in the large retorts fr. These retorts a are surrounded by the greatest heat of the combustion-chamber, as shown in Fig. l, so that their temperature rises to the highest of the Whole oven. In order to change the nitrogen from the retortgases into ammonia, a temperature of from 800 to 900 centigrade is required; but a temperature of from 300 to 600 centigrade is suii'icient to gasify the materials in the retorts 1', which can be formedinto gas. Vhen the gases or flames have played around the decomposing-retorts tt, their temperature is such that it is suflicient to heat the large retorts r, but not to heat the decomposing-retorts a sufficiently. Thus heat is extracted from the dames or heating-gases gradually and gas is produced at low temperature in retorts r and decomposed at high temperature in separate retorts a to obtain the nitrogen as a valuable product. This gradation of Work of the retort part of the oven forms the principal part of this invention. A second part of the invention, which is also of importance, is the special construction of the oven, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be seen from Fig. l that the fire-gases after having left the retort or combustion-chamber through the orifices f pass to the exitchannels c by a veryshort way, but that they nevertheless play on a very considerable heating-surface on the pipes B C and thecalcining-ovens. It will also be seen from Fig. l that those surfaces of the oven which extract heat uselessly from the re-gases after the latter have left the combustion chamber through exits fare very small, and that therefore the loss of heat by conduction through the brickwork is also very small. This is a great improvement on old constructions, the gas-channels of which are always long and narrow, so that they have a very large surface giving off heat uselessly to the outside. It is also of great importance that this conl struction and arrangement of the chambers N N for the preliminary heating of the air and gas obviates explosion, even if the gaspipes and air-pipes should leak. Any air and combustible gas escaping will mix with much greater quantitiesof com pletely-burned gases which surround the pipes B and O in which the air and gas for combustion are preliminarily heated, so that a combustible mixture cannot be formed. Therefore the possibility of an explosion must be excluded.

The temperature of the flame playing on the four lower decomposing-retorts in Fig. l may reach from 1,000 to 1,500 centigrade. In the upper part of the combustion-chamber, where the flames spread to both sides, the temperature is from 200 to 300 centigrade less, therefore from 800 to 1,200 centigrade. When entering the orifices f,the temperature of the gases of combustion is still about from 500 to r700 centigrade, and during the passage through the chambers N N' the temperature of such gases falls to about 400 centigrade, so that the gases when passing through the exit-channels c are still from 350 to 380 centigrade.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 4 will be easily understood without further description. The essential dierence Which should be mentioned is that only seven gasifying-retorts r and live decomposing-retorts a are used. However, the number of such gasifying retorts and decomposing retorts will be arranged according to requirement.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. In aretort-oven, lthe combination with an upper chamber containing decomposingretorts and gasifying-retorts, of a lower chamber containing air and gas tubes for supplying acombustible mixture to said upperchamber, and means for carrying the products of combustion back through said lower chamber to heat said air and gas tubes.

2. In a retort-oven, the combination with an upper chamber containing decomposing-retorts and gasifying-retorts, of a lower chamber containing air and gas tubes for supplying a combustible mixture to said upper chamber, a calcining-furnace located in said lower chamber and dividing it into an upper and a lower section, and means for carrying the products of combustion back through the sections of said lower chamber and past said calcining-furnaoe.

3. In a retort-oven, the combination with an upper chamber containing a plurality of retorts for receiving material to be gasified, and one or more calcining-furnaces located below said upper chamber, of a vertically-telescopic and longitudinally-movable feed tube or flue adapted to form a means of communication between any one of said retorts and the calcining furnace or furnaces, whereby the residue in said retorts may be fed into said calcining fur-nace or furnaces.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

o'rTo voN GIEs.

Witnesses:

GUsTAv WEHRZ, E. H. L. MUMMENHOFF.

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